A Minor Incident
by Child of Loki
Summary: What happens when Tony comes into work with a minor injury, both physically and to his relationship with Kate? Will he get his revenge?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS or its characters…**

**Author's note: I wrote this a little while ago, but ended up not knowing where it was headed. It was supposed to be contained within one chapter, but I haven't figured out a good ending yet so…apologies for that. Also, apologies for my perverse sense of humor, which many may not appreciate.**

"What happened to your finger, Dinozzo?" Gibbs asked, indicating the blood-soaked, formerly white gauze bandage encompassing the swollen index finger. Tony shifted uneasily and glanced at Kate who gave him a don't-look-at-me-you-idiot glare. Blood trickled from underneath the scarlet-stained bandage and down the back of his hand. His finger had refused to stop bleeding since the incident.

"I cut it," he tried. Gibbs looked doubtful and suspiciously examined Tony's face before turning his scrutinizing gaze upon Kate briefly. Turning back to the uncomfortable Dinozzo he spoke again, in his even non-revealing voice.

"You had better at least let Ducky check that out." When Tony failed to move, he barked at him in that intimidating manner of his. "Go now. You're of no use to me bleeding to death! Kate, go with him to make sure he doesn't try to get out of this…or faint."

Kate accompanied Tony to the elevator in the hurried manner they all adopted when being shouted at by Gibbs. The ride down to the morgue was a silent one, which was quite out of the ordinary for either of them. She felt bad enough about the whole incident without Tony giving her the silent treatment. He had never given her the silent treatment before. That meant this was the most severe thing she had ever done to him. She thought he had been okay with the incident. He had teased her about it, insulted her, and basically had acted his usual self. But when they had arrived at work and he realized that he'd have to explain it to Gibbs, he suddenly was angry with her. That was what he was mad about, looking bad in front of Gibbs. And of course, he blamed her for the entire incident, even though it was partly his fault. Part of her argued that it was in fact, totally her fault, but she told that part to shut-up. She watched him as he struggled, where he stood as far away as he could get from her in the elevator, to roll up his shirt sleeve that was being threatened by the growing stream of blood running down his hand from his wounded finger. She moved to help him, but he brushed her off, moving his hand protectively away from her.

"I think you've already done enough," he said coldly. That hurt her more than the silent treatment, much more than the teasing or insults. She stepped back to her side of the elevator and sighed in relief as she felt it come to a halt and the doors slid open marking their arrival.

They found Ducky leaning over a corpse, their most recent victim, mid-autopsy with his back to the door. "How can I help you, Agents Todd and Dinozzo?" came his kind yet probing voice.

"How'd you know it was us?" Kate asked, slightly perplexed. The canniness of his prediction was only slightly disturbing to her, for she was used to the bizarre traits of her "colorful" compatriots.

"The nose," he began. "…is a very interesting organ. Most people think that in such a line of duty as ours we become immune to the pungent odors and suffer a marked deficiency in oral-factory acuity. It's in fact quite the opposite. One finds that one's nose becomes more sensitive to distinctive odors the more one is around the more putrid aromas surrounding the recently deceased…"

"So you smelled us entering?" Kate asked, rather doubtfully. Despite the oddities she had grown accustomed to, she found this to be a stretch for the truth.

"You generally wear a muted floral scent of the begonia variety, while Agent Dinozzo is much less subtle with his liberal use of aftershave," he explained, still leaning over the half dissected cold body.

"You know, you're right, Ducky. Tony does go a little heavy on the aftershave. Anyone could smell him coming a mile away. It's like he has a primal compulsion to advertise himself," Kate announced playfully, trying to get Tony to talk to her again. Instead he just stood there, staring in the opposite direction.

"You may be on to something there, Kate. Many species of animals use pheromones to signal a number of different things. Take, for example, the…" the medical examiner began, but was cut short by Tony clearing is throat markedly, to which he turned around in order to survey the two agents for the first time since they had appeared in the morgue. "Oh dear. What happened to your hand, Tony? You're bleeding quite profusely."

"That's what we were hoping you could help us out with," Kate answered.

Within a few minutes, Ducky had his medical supplies out and was starting to tend to Tony's injured finger. As the agent sat on one of the cold metallic autopsy tables, the medical examiner delicately unwrapped the blood-soaked layers of medical gauze. Tony winced as the doctor dabbed at the wound in an attempt to clean it up enough to get a good look at the damage. Kate stood pensively by, overcome with guilt for Tony's pain and fear that the truth of the incident would be discovered.

"How did you manage to sustain this sort of wound to the base of your right index finger?" Ducky asked upon examination of the injury. Tony finally made eye-contact with Kate again, only for them to discover that each was as nervous about the situation as the other.

"I cut myself," he offered after several seconds.

"On what?" Ducky replied. "These look like teeth-marks."

"Right. I cut my finger on a dog's teeth," Tony explained quickly before looking at Kate with another nervous expression. "A neighbor dog bit me. A really mean dog. I always ask them to tie him up, but they never listen to me and this is what happens. Maybe I should sue them…" He let himself trail off when Kate gave him a look that told him he had gone too far.

Ducky twisted the finger around in his hand, trying to get a better look at the wound, and causing Tony to wince in pain again. The medical examiner seemed to reach a conclusion and straightened up to look Tony in the face. "They don't appear to be canine teeth marks, but human ones."

Tony didn't have another explanation to offer off the top of his head, so when he hesitated, Kate jumped in. "He bit himself. He's just too ashamed to tell you. I watched him do it. I'm not sure why he would do such a thing, though."

Tony shot her a glare for the crappy excuse. Now that she was blaming it on him being entirely insane, he was starting to really become angry with her. After a moment of silent argument, they turned their attention back to Ducky, who wasn't buying it.

'The wound was made by much smaller teeth than yours, Tony," he said. "Probably a woman's." He shot a glance at Kate. "Would you like to try another excuse?"

Ducky began to stitch up the wound, while Tony gritted his teeth. He'd take the temporary pain over a doctor's bill any day. Besides, Ducky did a nicer job stitching a man up than those ER interns. The doctor was surprisingly silent as he worked. He would usually be rambling on about some bizarre fact or story. That meant that he was hurt or angry with them for not telling the truth. Tony glanced over at Kate again. She was shifting from one foot to the other nervously. The silence was worse than the pain. It began to eat away at Tony's delicate psyche. He finally snapped.

"Kate has a tendency to put things in her mouth during sex," he blurted out, then continued on without a breath. "Normally you'd think that was hot, right? But she also has a tendency to bite down on-"

"Thank you, Tony," Ducky said rather hurriedly, cutting off the rambling man. "But I think I'd rather not know."

Kate stood there staring at them as Ducky proceeded to put the final stitches in Tony's finger. Her mouth didn't close for several seconds in shock over what Tony had revealed to the medical examiner. When her brain finally concluded that this was not a horrible nightmare, she closed her mouth and fumed silently. She considered ways to dispose of his cold dead body.

Ducky dressed the wound with fresh gauze, silence filling the morgue again. And again, Tony found he couldn't stand the silence and made an effort to fill it. "I think she does it because she's actually a screamer."

"Tony!" Kate yelled at him, hitting him roughly on the shoulder. She was beginning to regret ever letting the man touch her. Ducky gave the pair an astounded yet not completely puzzled look. They always seemed to quarrelling. He had tried counseling the two before, but only for their working relationship, never for something like this. He finished his work fixing up the special agent's non-work related injury.

"There you are, Tony. As good as new," Ducky said, trying to distract at least one of the pair from their brutal staring contest, which was making him feel uncomfortable.

"Thanks, Ducky," Tony responded without breaking eye contact with Kate. Ducky wasn't eager to see who would win this stare-down, or whether it would ever end. "If I might suggest something…"

Both Tony and Kate turned to look at the medical examiner. Ducky knew that they liked him, but the look that they gave him was one of pure hatred and annoyance. He assumed that it was meant for each other, not for him. "A friend of mine is a very renowned couples' therapist. Perhaps I could mention something to her on your behalf?"

**A/N: Suggestions for an ending would be helpful…**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS or its characters…**

**Author's Note: I guess the verdict was that you wanted more…So here's some more. But I can't guarantee that it will keep coming. It may very well do so though, because I like writing random, humorous stories. Anyway, Enjoy!**

Kate shifted position on the leather couch, causing an audible squeak to cut through the uncomfortable silence of the room. She moved to brush the hair back behind her ear and remembering why she hadn't pulled it back that particular day, she hesitated and let her hand fall to rest in her lap.

"So," the elderly lady began from her spot in a chair directly across from the couch. "Ducky tells me that you've been having problems at work because of your personal relationship. Would you care to elaborate on what has brought you here today?"

"Well, Doc," Tony spoke up eager to share about his pain. Whether he enjoyed it because it got him attention or because it caused her embarrassment, Kate wasn't sure. What she did know for sure was that he _did_ enjoy it. "Kate went all Hannibal Lector on me."

The therapist nodded her head and made a note. This was obviously not the response Tony had hoped for, because he felt the need to reiterate. "She almost bit my finger off!" he said, displaying his still bandaged finger.

"Quit whining about it!" Kate snapped. She was sick of hearing it, especially after what he had done to her, which was far more embarrassing. She informed him so. "What you did to me was far worse!"

"What _did_ he do to you?" the reserved spectator asked. She was feeling legitimately curious, even though she tried not to let it show. These two were one of the more colorful couples she had ever come in contact with, and she had seen _a lot_ of crazy people.

The question had startled Kate. When she was scolding Tony, she had forgotten where they were for a moment. Now the look the therapist gave her made her feel inclined to share, despite the embarrassment. She brushed her hair back to display the cause of her anger. "He gave me the largest hickey I Have Ever Seen, without my even realizing it!"

The elder woman had to stifle laughter, her years of training about to fail her, as Kate started hitting Tony on the arm. He grabbed her arm as she moved to hit him again, and their eyes locked in a battle of wills.

"Now, folks, let's not let this situation degenerate into violence," the therapist finally interrupted sternly, having regained her composure. They both turned and looked at the woman as if they had forgotten she was there. Kate composed herself and moved to sit several inches away from Tony on the couch. Again the leather squeaked markedly.

"Now that we've calmed down," the therapist began. "I'd like to ask you a question, and I'd like for you both to answer it as truthfully as possible. Okay?"

The couple nodded their heads, albeit a little reluctantly. They didn't especially want to be there, but they were both sick of the constant bickering. If this was going to help, it was worth the attempt.

"How do you usually resolve problems in your relationship?" She asked in her gentle, even voice.

"Sex," Tony offered after what seemed like little thought to Kate. She was about to object and hit him, but she realized it was true. All of their fights seemed to end with them having sex. Maybe they did have major problems with this relationship.

"What do you think, Kate?" she asked her, knowing that it was important they agree upon the issue.

"He may be right," she conceded. As much as she didn't want to admit it, she was just as much at fault as Tony was for the lack of healthy communication in their relationship.

"I'd like to get a better idea of how you deal with the issues that arise," the therapist tried to lead them into the next step. She wanted a clear picture of the relationship before she dispensed any advice. "Could you tell me about the last fight you had?"

They both tried to think of what exactly was the last fight they had. She probably wasn't referring to petty bickering like they had already displayed in her office.

"I guess that was last night," Kate offered.

"And what instigated the fight?" the therapist asked giving her a gentle, coaxing look.

"This!" Kate said, again indicating the large discoloration of skin on her neck, whilst giving Tony another dirty glare. The therapist gave her a care-to-explain? look, so Kate reluctantly continued. Maybe getting it off her chest would make her feel better, anyway. "He was being all sweet and attentive, and then I go to get ready for bed and when I look in the mirror…"

"_P-lease_, Kate," Tony interrupted. "Like you didn't know what I was doing."

"Now Tony, why don't we let Kate tell the story. Then you'll have your turn," the therapist cut them both off before Kate could become actively frustrated again. Tony sat back, a perturbed look on his face at being silenced. The therapist urged Kate to continue. "What happened next?"

"I confronted him about it," Kate continued. "He changed the subject back to his finger. I told him that I thought we had already resolved that whole incident. Apparently, we hadn't. The next thing I know we're yelling at each other and I just wanted him to back off so I…I pushed him."

Kate paused, waiting for the disapproving look she thought she'd receive from the therapist. It never came. Instead she just continued to sit there with a reserved yet sympathetic look upon her aging face. It encouraged Kate to finish the tale she had begun. "I think he grabbed my wrists or something, but the next thing I know I had wrestled him to the floor."

"Then we had sex," She admitted. Kate couldn't stop the revelations now. "I think the violence turns me on. It felt good to physically overpower him."

Tony gave her a ravenous look of approval. "Looks like I was right. You are kinky after all, Kate."

"Is that important to you, Tony?" the therapist asked, distracting him from his gloating over the younger woman.

"What?" he asked confused by the question, while simultaneously starting to feel defensive. He didn't think this woman should be attacking him. That wasn't her job. It was Kate's. Her job was to try to help them stop attacking each other.

"Is it important for you to be right when Kate's concerned?" She reiterated. This threw him off. Was there a way he could answer truthfully without looking bad? Probably not. But if Kate could honestly admit to getting hot over rough-housing with him, then he could at least give an honest answer now.

"Yes it is," Tony admitted. He tried to explain why it was, but could only come up with excuses for the behavioral defect. "But Kate always rubs my face in it when she's right!"

"It's okay Tony," the therapist consoled. "I'm not accusing you of any fault. I'm just trying to understand the dynamics of your relationship."

Placated, he nodded his head and sat back farther on the couch. Kate placed her hand on his arm, impressed that he could own up to such a perceived failing. He was trying to participate and that pleased her. She hadn't known where their relationship was headed when it began. She wasn't even sure that it _was_ a real relationship. It had seemed like it was just petty bickering and sex, neither of which she found entirely objectionable. But when Ducky had suggested a visit to the therapist, she had to question what she wanted from this relationship. The conclusion that she had come to was "more."

"I think I'm getting the picture here," the therapist began, interrupting Kate from her introspective thoughts. Tony's thoughts weren't interrupted at all, for he hadn't any beyond how good Kate smelled today and how hungry he was at the moment. "If I may propose…

"You both are very strong-willed people. And it makes sense for your particular career choice. From what Ducky has told me, you hold equal positions at work, but are constantly vying for the attention of your boss and bickering with one another. You both want to be the dominant person in your working relationship. Isn't that the case?" she paused to make sure that they were following her diagnosis. Kate nodded her head, and then proceeded to elbow Tony in the ribs as he stared off into space.

"Since your working relationship was your primary relationship, and your personal relationship stemmed from there…that would explain why this competition for dominance has carried over as well." She completed her interpretation of the situation.

It made sense to Kate. She had never even considered that her relationship with Tony could consist of anything else. That was just the way it was. He harassed her over things…she pointed how stupid he acted, and so on. She wasn't sure why it was that way; _it just was_.

Tony had tried to pay attention after Kate had jabbed him in the ribs with her elbow, and what the doctor had said kind of made sense. He had always known Kate was the strong domineering type of woman. That's why he was so attracted to her; she was a challenge. He wasn't sure that he wanted the arguing to stop. She wouldn't be half as attractive if she stopped fighting with him. Then again, if their relationship ended, he would never be able to try to crack her again. Not to mention, there would be no more sex or those delicious cookies she made him.

"I would like to make a suggestion," the therapist proceeded to dispense advice. Kate hoped it would be helpful. Tony hoped that it wouldn't be something completely stupid and pointless. "We cannot assume that you can change your behavior towards one another immediately. But I would like for you to try, just try, to be conscious of this conflict within your relationship. When arguments happen, think about not how important it is for you to be the dominant partner, but how important it is for you to try and work through these problems. Getting your partner to concede or submit is not always the best for you. It certainly isn't the best for your relationship."

"Okay?" the therapist asked the couple seated uncomfortably in front of her. They both nodded their heads, Tony without prompting this time. "Well that's it for this session. I would like to see you again in two weeks, all right?"

"Thanks, Doc," Tony said jumping up, relieved to get out of there. Kate rolled her eyes at his eagerness to depart, and got up to follow him. "We'll see you then," she said to the therapist, giving her a smile.

She could hear the couple as they left her office and walked down the hall:

"Tony, I hope you'll actually listen to what she said and follow her advice."

"Yeah. She said that when you try to start a fight with me, I should be the Bigger Man and back down."

"That's not what she meant! If anything that's exactly the problem she was discussing!"

"Right, Kate. Whatever you say…"

"Don't you dare do this, Tony!"

"Do what, Kate?"

"Act like you're being the Bigger Man. Because you know you're not, right? You know you're just being childish."

"Childish? Look who's resorted to name-calling?"

"Name-calling? Who's the one who behaved like a high school age boy and gave me a huge hickey?"

"Yeah? Well, didn't your mother ever teach you not to bite?"

"Bite? I'll show you-Wait, you're not worth it!"

"Trying to be the Bigger Man, Kate?"

Then the voices faded to an inaudible level, drowned out by the laughter that the therapist finally let spill over. She had a feeling that these two would prove to be quite a challenge, as well as a source of great entertainment. She shook her head and tried to compose herself in preparation for her next appointment.


End file.
